The True Bride
by Scandiadream
Summary: The Rayearth Version of Grimm's fairy tale "The False Bride"


The True Bride The True Bride   


A Magic Knight Rayearth Fanfic 

by Scandiadream scandiadream@hotmail.com 

Disclaimer- the Magic Knight Rayearth characters belong to CLAMP. This story is my own version of the Grimm Fairy Tale "The False Bride". I changed some situations to fit better with the characters. 

"My dear Zagato, I will finally come to you and become your bride" 

Lady Emeraude finished writing a letter to Prince Zagato, to whom she was betrothed to. They had writing each other for a while now, and Emeraude enjoyed every letter more and more. Now that they had come of age, she was finally going to meet him and shortly afterwards marry him. 

Countess Presea, Emeraude's mother, was very happy. But she was also sad to see her daughter depart. She would come to the Cephiro palace for the wedding, but Emeraude would go ahead of time in order to prepare for the wedding. 

As Presea said goodbye to Emeraude, she pricked her finger and let drops of blood fall on an embroidered handkerchief.   
"Emeraude, this handkerchief will protect you wherever you go, as long as you have it with you. And you can ride my special horse, Mokona". Mokona was no ordinary filly- she could talk. 

Plus Emeraude would not be heading towards the castle alone. Presea had commissioned Alcyone, the head maid in waiting, to travel with Emeraude. 

But unbeknownst to Presea and Emeraude, Alcyone had other plans in mind. 

On the way towards the castle, Emeraude became thirsty.   
"Alcyone, could you help me get some water for the rest of the trip?" Emeraude asked Alcyone, since she had extra jugs.   
"Get it yourself" Alcyone replied harshly.   
So Emeraude   
"If your mother could see this, she would be shocked" Mokona whispered to Emeraude. Emeraude simply filled the rest of the jugs, just thinking that Alcyone was in a bad mood due to the sun.   
But Alcyone was watching from her horse, trying to see if Emeraude's handkerchief would fall down. 

A few hours later, Emeraude became hungry.   
"Alcyone, could you help me pick some more berries so that we can have some for tomorrow's breakfast?" Emeraude inquired.   
"Get them yourself" Alcyone answered, even brassier.   
But this time, Alcyone did not just stand and watch as Emeraude picked berries from the bush. She pushed Emeraude...and the handkerchief fell from her dress. Alcyone grabbed the handkerchief and placed a dagger up to Emeraude's neck.   
"The handkerchief is now mine. You will do EVERYTHING I say, or you will die"   
"Alcyone, how dare you?"   
"Did you hear me?" Alcyone said, placing the dagger so closely that Emeraude could feel the blade. Emeraude nearly began crying, but she realized she had to be strong.   
"Now we will switch outfits and I will be the countess and you will be the handmaiden. Understood?"   
"If Presea found out, her heart would be shattered. And to think that she trusted Alcyone". Mokona thought. 

Alcyone rode Mokona towards the palace, and Emeraude rode Alcyone's regular horse. Not only was Emeraude now wearing Alcyone's clothes, but also a hooded cloak and dark eyeglasses so that nobody could recognize her as the legitimate fiancee of the prince. 

Emeraude and Alcyone arrived at the palace. They were received by King Clef of Cephiro.   
"Good morning, Lady Emeraude. Welcome to the palace, which will be your home now".   
"Good morning, your royal majesty. Where is the prince?" Alcyone said. 

Prince Zagato descended the stairs, hoping to meet his beloved bride. He was followed by his younger brother Prince Lantis.   
The real Emeraude could feel the love inside her wanting to burst out upon laying eyes on the prince she had yearned to meet for so long.   
But when Zagato faced the fake countess, he shuddered.   
"You don't look like an Emeraude! You look more like an Amethyst!" Lantis candidly exclaimed.   
"Why would they name her Emeraude if she has purple eyes?" Clef wondered.   
"I can't believe this is the woman I have been corresponding with for the last three years. Something about her does not seem right." Zagato thought. 

Clef's head knight, LaFarge, appeared in front of the false bride.   
"Is there anything I can do for you, milady?"   
"Yes. Please execute my horse. She was extremely troublesome during the voyage and I don't want to take care of her anymore".   
"As you wish." LaFarge found this request very odd. Zagato had told him about how kind Emeraude was in her letters and how concerned she seemed with everyone's well-being, but he still acquiesced. 

The real Emeraude was devastated when she heard what happened to Mokona. But she had been assigned to tend the palace's animals with Ferio, the herder who had recently orphaned. So she was able to ask LaFarge a favor.   
"Could you put up the horse's head above the main door of the stable?"   
"Sure, no problem" It was the day of odd requests for LaFarge. 

What Emeraude did not suspect was that from a corner, Zagato was watching. When he first saw Emeraude, a sensation of peace and joy filled him. Definitely nicer than what he felt when he faced Alcyone.   
"Brother, why are you smiling at the handmaiden? It's not like you can even see how she looks like under that cloak and shades" Lantis said. 

"Mokona, I am sorry" Emeraude told Mokona's head.   
"No, I am sorry that I could not do more to protect you. But do not worry- I will make sure Alcyone pays for this". 

On her first day at the fields, Emeraude let her beautiful golden hair down. Ferio had never seen such long wavy hair. He tried to snip a lock of it with his scissors. But before he could get close enough, Emeraude chanted.   
"Wind, wind, blow Ferio's hat away"   
And it blew Ferio's hat away so far that he had to run. By the time he returned to Emeraude's side, she had put her hair up and under her straw hat again.   
"Alcyone, your hair is very pretty. Why don't you let it down?" Ferio asked.   
"The prince's bride should be allowed to shine completely" Emeraude replied. 

However, that afternoon, Ferio saw Emeraude talking to Mokona.   
"This lady's hiding something. And I'm going to find out what it is." 

"Hi there little Ferio, is everything all right? Looks like something is bothering you" King Clef asked the boy.   
"Your majesty, Miss Alcyone is very nice, but she seems to be keeping a secret. There's something sad about her, even though   
she is the friendliest girl in the world. And she knows way too many big words for a handmaiden".   
"Hmmm..." 

"If only I could find out what secret is the bride's handmaid keeping"   
"Caldina's my name, gossip's my game! If you need information, do not hesitate to call me!" Caldina was the palace's head servant and LaFarge's wife.   
Clef saw the skies open. He was concerned about his son, who seemed disappointed that his bride to be was not like the letters had portrayed her to be. 

The next day, Emeraude (the real one) let her hair down again in the fields. But this time, Ferio grabbed a lock of her hair. And before Emeraude could say anything, Ferio stated:   
"Alcyone, if you want this lock of hair to remain in your head, tell me the secret you are hiding. I have seen you talk to that horse's head, and it replies. You have to be hiding something. By orders of His Majesty, King Clef, tell us what it is!" Emeraude turned around to see Clef standing next to her.   
"Please forgive me, your majesty, but I cannot reveal this horrible terrible secret to any living person ever" Emeraude knew what would face her if she did.   
"That is all right. But if you need to empty your heart, just tell the fireplace in the den. It has kept many secrets over the years."   
King Clef answered. He hoped the trick Caldina had taught him would work. 

That night, Emeraude snuck up to the den, hoping to finally release the tension she had kept for the past few weeks.   
What she did not know, is that not only Clef, but also the princes Zagato and Lantis, and even little Ferio were listening at the other side. 

"Since you are not a human being, I am allowed to tell you. On the way to the palace, the protective handkerchief my mother gave me, fell off my bosom. Alcyone, my maid in waiting, grabbed it, and has threatened my life since then. She forced me to dress up in her clothes and not reveal my face or true identity in the palace. And since Zagato has never met me in person, he had no way to know that it was not me, but Alcyone, whom he would end up marrying. Plus Alcyone had Mokona killed- my only pet. Part of me wants to escape, but part of me wants to stay here and take care of Ferio." 

Clef was shell-shocked at what Alcyone had been capable of doing. And Zagato was in tears, because he now knew why   
the lady who claimed to be his betrothed gave him the creeps, while the maiden he had barely seen made him feel so warm inside.   
"Somebody's going to get in trouble!" Lantis and Ferio said at the same time.   
"It's time for justice to be done' Clef said. 

"Emeraude, have no fear. I have heard all you said, and everything will be all right." Clef said as he entered.   
"Your majesty! Your royal hignesses! Ferio!" Emeraude was startled. She began crying and ran, trying to exit. But Zagato   
instead went to her and held her.   
"Emeraude, I should have known from the very beginning that the lady claiming to be you was an impostor. I hope you can forgive me."   
"But, you had no way to know. Both of us were disguised all the time" Emeraude said. She knew it was not Zagato's fault.   
"That false countess made me feel very uncomfortable. Which did not match with the beautiful letters you had written me. Yet whenever I passed the cloaked maiden that was truly you, happiness filled me. And I could not figure out why."   
"Please do not be sad, Zagato."   
"I am not. I am happy that I finally found you, Emeraude, the woman of my dreams, whom I had wished to welcome in my life for so long." The couple embraced tenderly, rejoicing that the hoax was finally over. 

"Hey, but it's not fair that the wicked witch nearly killed Emeraude and tried to marry Zagato!" Ferio said   
"She has to pay for this. But, how?" Lantis asked his father.   
"Let's make her give herself away" Clef said. 

The next day, Clef summoned Alcyone to his throne room. Emeraude was next to Ferio, still incognito.   
Clef told everyone that Cephiro's court was facing a case about someone who betrayed his master. But because the traitor was a man, and because Clef had changed a few details, Alcyone was not able to recognize herself.   
"Countess, what do you believe is the appropriate punishment for someone who has commited that betrayal?"   
"Expel him from Cephiro! Send him to the polluted, overpopulated Autozam where the people face a constant rat race."   
"Very well. That person who will be punished...is YOU, Alcyone." Clef said.   
"Emeraude has revealed everything. Did you truly believe that you could fool me and marry me for who knows what reasons?"   
Zagato added.   
LaFarge handcuffed Alcyone and took her away. She was shipped towards Autozam the next day. 

That weekend, Presea made it to the Cephiro palace. Emeraude decided to tell her everything, since the truth was now known.   
And the next week, the true bride Emeraude married her beloved prince, Zagato. And they lived happily ever after. 

The End   
  
  



End file.
